


Heterochromia

by Rosswritesalot



Category: Commentary crew, The eboys - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heterochromia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24248890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosswritesalot/pseuds/Rosswritesalot
Summary: But there was nothing like looking into those eyes. It nearly took his breath away. His eyes hadn’t been the brightest before, but now it was as if he was seeing the blue hue of his natural eye colour in a whole new light. He hadn’t particularly thought they were stunning.. but at least it was better than this. He felt like crying. Who the hell was this looking at him? Surely it wasn’t the same man he looked at yesterday. How did this happen, fuck when did this happen?
Relationships: George Andrew/Alex Elmslie, ImAllexx/Memeulous
Comments: 1
Kudos: 123





	Heterochromia

George had a massive headache. 

The lights of the hospital only served to make the throbbing more consistent. The hustle and bustle of nurses and doctors rushing from patient to patient made his skin crawl. This was sure to go in the list of top ten worst hangovers ever. His mind reeled as he attempted to piece together the night he had and how he got here. 

The sound of heavy bass thumping, bodies grinding against one another, body shots and quiet giggles. The sound of tires screeching, the uber driver screaming, and pain shooting through his skull like a bullet going through his temple. At this memory, his stomach churned and George rolled over, the contents of his stomach emptying on the hospital floor. 

“I’m sorry, ‘m sorry.” he mumbled as a lady quickly worked to sit him up, and checked his vitals. 

“It’s no worries hun, can you tell me your name?” George winced as she shined a concentrated light into his eyes. He didn’t like how long it took to remember the name on the tip of his tongue. 

“George.” his voice was hoarse, and his stomach was beyond empty. This was the worst day of his life and he didn’t even know what fucking day it was. 

“Alright, do you know what happened? Follow my finger.” the lady rushed through her sentences, obviously trying to get to the next patient. George obviously wasn’t in the typical emergency room. His eyes followed her finger as she moved it from side to side, then up towards the ceiling and down to his feet. He was careful not to move his head as she did this.

“A car crash?” His voice was small at this point, George was much too sober and tired for this scenario. He was scared and his friends were nowhere in sight. Did they even know where he was? “Where’s my phone. Where… am I?”

For the first time, the woman really looked at him, and her eyes softened as if she was seeing him for the first time. “Your phone should be on the table on the other side of the bed. You’re at the hospital. Do you have anyone to call?” George rubbed at his eyes, feeling somewhat like a child in the way she spoke to him. 

“Can I call my friend to come pick me up?” George felt cold, he hated hospitals with a passion. He hated how small he felt in this huge room of sick patients. He was scared and he just wanted to be home. Everything ached but he was fine. He knew that much at least. 

“Of course. Everything looks good, so you’re really lucky. Come back if you have any recurring issues okay?” She genuinely seemed to have a personality for the first time since she started looking him over. Her thin lips pulled up into a tight smile as she spoke one last time before sauntering off. “You have such unique eyes.”

~

George still had a throbbing headache and for once in his life was thankful for his paranoia which never let him leave his house without a pair of sunglasses. The lights in the apartment were much too bright for the horrible feeling coursing through him. All George knew was he needed a shower and a fucking nap. Alex was going to lose it. 

George stumbled into the apartment with his keys and belongings in tow. He was surely going to need a new phone as the one he had just gotten about five months ago had loads of cracks across the screen. All of the lights were out, but he couldn’t check the time. The cracks had effectively destroyed his only effective way to check time. The lights were off in the apartment and there was no sign of anyone being awake. Alex would have to hear about it later. George couldn’t bear the thought of staying in the same pair of skinny jeans anymore. 

The shower washed away everything except for his throbbing headache. Boiling water washed away the blood which was caked in his hair. Was the eye test a check for a concussion? He didn’t want to think anymore. He closed his eyes as he turned to face the water stream, washing away his memories of the past few hours. Fuck his head hurt. 

He glanced at his outline in the mirror, almost thankful that his reflection was fogged over. He didn’t want to see his face which he could tell was swollen from the incident. He wasn’t ready to face that yet. He could still feel the remnants of a hangover despite the shower. He didn’t care enough to look for Tylenol. 

The bed was cold, and he sunk into it, almost overwhelmed by the sheer mass of it. For the first time since he woke up in the hospital he allowed himself to really take in what had happened. 

He could have died, and the thought terrified him. He had so many secrets he still hadn’t told he still had so much life to live, and he was scared. He didn’t want to die. He still had so much to do, and with the thoughts of his mortality, he allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. The last few hours played through his mind in increments. He couldn’t be bothered to pull the covers over him, or even wipe away the tears which were constantly streaming. He didn’t realize how scared he was to die before this, and he couldn’t get it out of his head. 

The last thought that ran through his mind before he fell asleep was of the lady which took care of him. Her falsely sweet tone which had been practiced to perfection over the years. 

“You have such unique eyes.”

~

“Where the fuck were you last night?” the sound of Alex’s voice grated on George’s eardrums, bringing back the steady throbbing he had only just escaped in his sleep. He reached for the shades resting on the nightstand before bothering to open his eyes. He couldn’t believe the hangover was still everlasting. He flopped over to look in the general direction of his flatmate. The boy stood, looking slightly ridiculous in his oversized hoodie covering the expanse of his pale thighs. George would have laughed if he didn’t feel so awful in general. 

“I don’t really remember mate. Had some drinks, called an uber, got in a wreck, hospital. I’m fine now just please let me sleep.” He rolled over and buried his face in the pillows again, desperate to escape back to the painless dreams he couldn’t remember. 

“Jeez mate, what happened to your face?” Alex had gone from pissed to concerned within seconds. It was only then that George felt the incessant throbbing in his right cheek. It was as if he had just been slapped. He winced as Alex reached out and touched the raw skin. George jerked away and hoped that Alex would assume the red hue to his face was due to the pain. George wasn’t very good with physical contact sometimes. 

“It was a pretty bad car crash.” George sat up in bed as Alex leaned towards him, pressing one knee into the bed. Alex’s hands were shaky as he reached out to George again. This time he held still. He sucked air in quickly through his teeth at the pain which shot through his face upon contact. 

“I knew I should have gone with you..” Alex sounded more sad than upset. George tried not to turn his head too quickly when he looked up at the man. 

“Are you seriously trying to blame this on yourself? You weren’t in the mood to go drinking. You’re not my fuckin mum it wasn’t your fault.” George knew he sounded angry, but he wasn’t great at controlling his tone. He just wanted to be rid of this headache. He just wanted to forget that last night ever happened. Thank god for the shades dimming the lights or he was sure he might have thrown up again from the pain. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t go with you. How did you end up in a crash?” Alex slid next to George, naturally pressing their shoulders together. It was usually the most physical contact they had. Alex knew George wasn’t raised as he was. His family wasn’t nearly as touchy.

“I was piss drunk mate, I have no clue. One moment I was about to pass out, on my way back home to my good old flatmate, next I was in hospital talking to a pretty lady shining a fuck off bright light in my eyes.” George let his eyes slide shut as he spoke, not wanting to deal with looking at things anymore. It was all entirely too much at the moment. 

“Why are you wearing those?” Alex lightly tapped the edge of George’s sunglasses, sure not to touch the swollen mass. George winced anyway.

“Head hurts.” It was starting to become tedious how much he thought about the pain. 

“Can you take them off for a second? I kind of want to see if your eyes are swollen. I can’t tell with those bulky things on. You don’t even have to open your eyes. Okay?” Alex’s voice was much too soft and sweet for just asking George to take off his glasses. He wasn’t sure if his face was hot from the pain or Alex’s mannerisms. 

“Bit gay this.” George tried not to comment much more for fear that the butterflies which regularly accompanied his stomach would start a riot. Alex just smiled and shook his head. The boy had such pretty lips. George had long since accepted that. He knew he had a crush, Alex knew too, but neither of them did anything about it. George wasn’t ready and they both knew that. 

George took his glasses off, letting his eyes slide close to hide from the light. He might have also been hiding from the bright green eyes which always managed to pry at his inner thoughts without ever revealing anything themselves. It frustrated George to no end, he hated feeling so vulnerable to the boy he had developed a weird fascination with. 

His thoughts always end up here. The flip flop between knowing that Alex is just his friend and wishing for something more tugged him back and forth as if Alex held strings attached to his heart. George was made to dance for this man who had wormed his way into his life. The intimate little moments such as these always made him long for the great unknown beyond. Alex’s palm cupped George’s jaw, and he felt his hands clench in his lap. It was all too much, too delicate, too intimate. George could hardly breathe.

“You look like a right mess, George.” Alex’s fingers smoldered his skin, leaving hot coals of uncertainty in their wake. George was young and stupid, crushing on his flatmate he had gotten to know over the years as his best friend. He felt warmth radiating from the close body towering over him. George felt the urge to look at him, to see what Alex looked like in this moment. Headache be damned. 

George winced against the light of the sun and stared up at Alex, whose smile bloomed for just a moment upon seeing George’s eyes fluttering open, only to fall again with realization. His smile fell, and George was sure his heart was going to break his rib cage as silence fell over the small apartment bedroom. 

“George… your eyes.” Alex’s hand fell away, almost as if George’s skin burned him now. Alex was staring at George as if he was looking at a new person. George’s stomach was tied in knots. “What happened to your eyes?”

George didn’t bother with politeness. He didn’t think about the close proximity as much anymore, even though his face was still burning away at gentle touches. George quickly stood and made his way to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. The man who stared back at him was somehow himself, yet a different person entirely. His eyes… were different. The dark blue he had been so used to as a kid was still in his left iris, while the right suddenly held a different colour entirely. Chocolate brown, nearing on black. It was as if someone had taken his face and made changes in some extremely well developed photoshop. The swelling in his right cheek brought his lips up into something almost akin to a smirk. His eyebrow had a bandage across it he didn’t remember getting and his jaw was forming a nasty bruise. While inspecting every one of these injuries, he felt the pain of them all once again.

But there was nothing like looking into those eyes. It nearly took his breath away. His eyes hadn’t been the brightest before, but now it was as if he was seeing the blue hue of his natural eye colour in a whole new light. He hadn’t particularly thought they were stunning.. but at least it was better than this. He felt like crying. Who the hell was this looking at him? Surely it wasn’t the same man he looked at yesterday. How did this happen, fuck when did this happen?

“George what… happened?” Alex stepped forward, against his own better judgement reaching out to the boy. George flinched away from Alex’s hand and felt his heart drop as it fell away quickly. He touched his face, looking at himself in all angles as if a difference in lighting might change the very obvious thing he was seeing. “Is your eye… brown? Are you wearing contacts?”

“No.. I’m not..”

~

George sat on the couch, staring off into nothing. The headache had faded to a dull roar, and Alex had long since left his side to get them some food. George hadn’t spoken a word since the discovery. He couldn’t even describe what he was feeling at the moment. He just wanted to close his eyes and not be in this moment. It was a sudden change, a thing about himself which could not be explained. What was he supposed to do, sue the uber driver he didn’t remember the name of? Go to the doctor and demand they fix his eyes? There is nothing to be done and he doesn’t know how to feel about any of it.

So George sits, and he stares at the dim wall from behind his shades, trying to accept that for the rest of his life he will have to say that his discolored eyes are a byproduct of a drunken mistake. He wasn’t sure when his throat had become so closed up, but breathing was suddenly difficult. He could feel Alex’s eyes burning into his back, as if he was waiting for the man to snap, or cry or do anything at all.

“George?” Alex’s voice sounded far away and yet much too loud for the moment. George didn’t have the energy to say anything. He just glanced up at the boy, hating the way that Alex was looking at him. As if George was an animal he was afraid to touch. The thought that something had changed, shifted not only emotionally but physically, pained him. “George this doesn’t change anything you know.” Alex tugged at the strings on his hoodie. A nervous tic George found incredibly endearing. “It’s just eyes man.”

“It’s not just my eyes Al, it’s the way you’re looking at me. I don’t… I don’t like it. I don’t like that I’m going to live out my life knowing that if I had stayed home last night I wouldn’t be like- like this!” George gestured vaguely to his face. “It’s the fact that no matter what you say I can’t focus on it because all I can think about is who I was compared to who I am now. Do you realize how mortal we are, even think about the fact that I could have died?” Alex’s eyes were wide at this point. George wasn’t typically the type for deep conversations, or conversations like this at all. He was obviously at a loss for words, and yet George powered on. 

“I have so many places I want to go someday. I have people I love and people who I haven’t admitted things to,” he faltered on this statement. “There is so much I still don’t know and to think that I was so stupid as to go get in a car accident which will have changed this part of me forever… I don’t- I don’t know what to do Al!” George could hardly see at this point. His vision was blurred with unshed tears, constantly threatening to boil over. “I am always going to be waiting for someone to ask the question ‘oh, how are your eyes like that?’ and I don’t know Alex! I don’t know anything. I’m incredibly stupid and the fact that I could die without saying what I have always wanted to? That’s terrifying.” 

Alex was crying, always the more emotional type. His arms were awkwardly at his sides even though it was obvious he just wanted to hug the man in front of him. Silence fell over the flat as what George had said sunk in for the both of them. A hot tear rolled down George’s face from his right eye. The eye which was forever broken. 

“And… what do you want to say?” Alex’s voice was even, a stark contrast to the red rims around his eyes and tear tracks staining his soft features. His lip slightly jutted out naturally, only adding to the scene of sorrow. George paled as he realized that what he wanted to say wasn’t so easy now that his bout of confidence had fizzled away.

The silence was heavy and near deafening. George wished he could take it all back just so he wouldn’t have to admit that he wanted to kiss his best mate to make the sadness go away. He cleared his throat, hoping to rid himself of the uncomfortable lump which was steadily growing. 

There was a loud banging at the door.

George sighed, a mix of despair and confusion settling in his stomach as Alex quickly rubbed the tear stains from his face, and went to answer the door, not waiting for a response. George hadn’t realized how much tension was in the air until it was lifted. It was as if he was able to properly breathe again for the first time, and he hated himself for basking in the relief. 

“George mate, what happened to you? Alex tells me you got yourself in a right mess, you did.” George wiped away the tear before Will came and crouched in front of where he was still sitting on the couch. “Right, come on, off with the shades.” Will didn’t bother with politeness, he was never as cautious. Before George could protest, Will had pulled them from his face. George just shut his eyes and turned away, not wanting to go through the motions again.  
“What’s the deal with ‘im?” Will was obviously addressing Alex now in favour of George, who was yet again silent. Will always was the loudest, never knowing when to shut his mouth. George hated how much the words already stung and this was one of his best friends. The silence was yet again deafening. “Right then, I’m calling James.” Will sounded almost annoyed now, the severity of it all not sinking in with him. George felt his heart racing as Will’s footsteps retreated, and then grew near, retreated and then grew near again. His pacing only served to make the entire situation worse. 

“Will that might not-” Alex began to speak up for the first time but was quickly cut off by James answering the phone.

“Hey, you alright?” George sat back on the couch and pulled his knees up to his chest. It was all too much; too overwhelming. 

“Yeah, can you find the time to swing by Al ‘n George’s? George was in a car crash ‘n now somethin’s wrong.” Leave it to Will to be ever so blunt.

“Jesus Will, yeah alright I’m in the building anyway I got the text from Alex earlier.” George tried not to look pathetic as he let his head rest on his knees. He was cold, and all he wanted was to get out of this situation. 

“Cheers. Bye.” Will’s voice was chipper as always, though starting to waver, as if he was truly looking at the state of the boys for the first time. 

“George mate, I just wanna check-”

“Shut up Will.” George said before it all crashed down on him again. A soundless sob broke forth and he wrapped his arms around himself, similarly to how he comforted himself as a boy. It worked better back then. 

Another rapt at the door, the steady rhythm of Will’s steps carrying him away. 

“Here are your shades, George…” Alex’s voice was soft again, and George held out his hand for them as two pairs of footsteps made their way closer. He felt the couch dip beside him and the smell of citrus invaded his senses. George automatically leaned towards it, not caring at this point what the others thought. He just wanted to be near the boy, which was a much better alternative to dealing with the other two men who exchanged whispers across the room. 

“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.” George’s voice was surprisingly steady despite the tears which constantly rolled down his face at this point. He was sure that he must have been a sight to see at that moment but he didn’t bother looking up to gauge their reactions. He just put his head back on his knees again. 

The sound of someone frantically mouthing words pressed at George’s ribcage and he just wanted this whole nightmare to be over. He jumped at the feeling of Alex’s palm coming to rest in the middle of his back. He might’ve started crying harder when the warmth left as quickly as it appeared. 

“George what’s goin’ on? We just want to make sure you’re alright.” James was ever so timid and yet his words were like a slap to the face. He wasn’t alright. Far from it actually. Maybe he could use this as an excuse later to explain why he threw his shades across the room and blatantly stared at James and Will, who were speechless as they watched tears fall from mismatched eyes. 

“You see it? You fuckin see what is wrong? I don’t- I.. I..” their stares were soft, as if their concern overrode the confusion of it all. George let out an audible sob and for the first time allowed himself to lean into Alex fully. He wasn’t surprised this time as warmth snaked its way around his torso. He didn’t care what anyone thought. He was desperate for something besides his own arms wrapped around himself. He didn’t care about any of it anymore. 

“George it’s okay..” Will spoke softly but his words were feeble. It only served to make matters worse. It was all too much and George was utterly overwhelmed. The lump in his throat was making it hard to breathe and he resorted to burying his face in Alex’s hoodie to escape the staring. 

He couldn’t tell how long they stayed like that. Alex’s breaths were in time with his. He could hear the few exchanges of words, feel the vibration of Alex’s responses but he couldn’t focus on any of it. He didn’t care when he was in a moment as perfect as this. All he knew was at some point he heard the other two boys leave and shut the door behind them. 

Alex smelled of citrus, and George couldn’t let himself think of anything else. The warmth surrounding him seeped to the bones and he could feel himself sinking in it. There was no fight left in George anymore. He wanted to say something. He wanted to admit to what he had no control over, he was ready. 

He wrapped his arms around Alex’s middle pulling the boy impossibly closer. He wasn’t sure when the tears stopped, but he moved his face up to be buried in Alex’s neck anyway, shutting out the rest of the world in favor of citrus safety. He couldn’t think around the overwhelming comfort in this moment. He spoke to Alex, not actually caring if he heard; the other two boys long since forgotten.

“I love you Al.” he forced himself to bask in the moment of being in Alex’s arms rather than the catastrophe he was unleashing with his words. 

“I love you too George.” Alex responded, voice tight and quiet. 

“No..” George pulled away enough that he could look Alex in the eyes, faltering at the way he could see Alex’s attention bouncing from one pupil to the other. “I love you.” George could see Alex’s eyes carefully assessing the situation. They had never spoken of this aloud because they never felt the need to. They had an understanding up until this point, and the new territory was terrifying to say the least. 

“I know.. I love you too. Always have. Always will. No matter what.” Alex’s voice was hardly above a whisper at this point. He didn’t want to break the moment that the two had developed while in each other's arms. It felt special; like it really meant something. They were content like this, with each other.

“Alex?” George’s voice was timid again. Soft and slightly nervous.

“Hmm?” Alex tried not to smile at how adorably small the boy seemed in that moment. 

“Do you think my eyes are pretty this way?” George’s accent tilted the words slightly, and Alex could hardly breathe with the brown blue eyes staring at him so curiously.

Alex cupped George’s jaw and pulled him in for a kiss. Enjoying the warmth which seemed to explode within themselves at the prospect of this new enthralling feeling becoming a constant. 

“I think you’re beautiful George.” Alex said with a smile before pulling George in to kiss him again.


End file.
